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Great American Taxi
Streets of Gold
(Independent)
First Appeared in The Music Box, May 2007, Volume 14, #5
Written by John Metzger
There’s no denying the sonic connection between Great American Taxi and
Leftover Salmon. After all, the group was founded by guitarist Vince Herman
during Leftover Salmon’s hiatus. Not surprisingly, then, Streets of
Gold, its debut, begins in a fashion that mirrors the sounds and textures of
his better-known outfit. In fact, the first three songs on the endeavor — the
title track, Ride, and the traditional Lazy John — seem to go out
of their way to bind the bands together.
Just when it appears, however, as if Great American Taxi is about to spend
the rest of Streets of
Gold running through material that was deemed
inferior for Leftover Salmon’s consumption, along comes Appalachian Soul,
a powerfully moving tale about the environmental and economic devastation that
has been wreaked upon a small-town community at the hands of the strip-mining
industry. While the tune owes a tremendous debt to The Band, it also is bent
around a southern rock motif á la Little
Feat, and this subtle twist gives Great American Taxi enough leverage to
transform the song into something that it can call its own. No matter how many
times the album is heard, it’s on this track that the group hits its stride.
With its galloping beat as well as its tangle of acoustic, electric, and
pedal steel guitars, the subsequent Straw Man stakes its claim to terrain
that falls somewhere between New Riders of the Purple Sage and Widespread Panic,
while a cover of Lumpy, Beanpole & Dirt finds Great American Taxi fully
embracing Little Feat’s distinctive brand of brawling blues. Elsewhere, the
ensemble delves into island grooves (Kali) and Jerry Lee Lewis-inspired
country-rock (Cinched Up), and the heavy guitar that circles through
New Direction is reminiscent of Steve Earle’s psychedelic twang. Granted,
there are only a few moments on Streets of
Gold that fall outside the
purview of Leftover Salmon, but in peeling back the layers on his other band’s polyethnic, cajun slamgrass, Herman, strangely enough, has wound up with one of
the more eclectic outings within his canon. 
Streets of Gold is available from Amazon.com.
To order, Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box
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